Deathnote, A New Kira
by The Zaniac
Summary: Ryuk is bored after he wrote Light's name in the Death Note, so he decides to find another Kira... One that would be, in his words, "fun."
1. Karen

**First, I would like to thank my coauthor, Author of Scifi, for being such a help to my futile attempts to do creative writing. Please leave reviews!**

The dark form flying across the sky was a sharp contrast to the lights of downtown Chicago. Of course, since this form was a Shinigami, it didn't matter so much, since they were invisible to humans. The shadow-like form was attempting to cope with an emotion it had long before become aquainted with – boredom.

His last attempt at entertainment had escalated brilliantly, but had ended in lackluster. A pitiful death at the base of some stairs; hardly an entertaining end. Now the Shinigami was looking for a more permanent form of entertainment... creating a new Kira might be fun. The human's helplessness before the Death Note, at least, was entertaining.

_What if I gave the notebook to an American? A female perhaps? That would be fun. One with a higher I.Q? A genius... like Light._

He dedcided to go somewhere where they had good apples. _What was that place again... It began with a "W"... Ahhhh, Wisconsin. That's it. Yes. Wisconsin. That is where I will go._ Ryuk turned northward. He flew until he reached a small apple orchard. _Yum... APPLES! _He landed underneath an apple tree and plucked a ripe red apple from it. _I really should let Rem in on this._ After taking the last bite of his fifth apple, he fell asleep in the shade of the apple tree.

The sunlight made Karen's golden yellow walls shine. The fresh air coming through her bedroom window carried the exquisite smell of apple blossoms. The soft Christmas music playing from her radio soothed her. This was the way her room usually was over the earlier parts of the holidays_._ Bright and tranquil.

The tranquility of the moment was briken when her mother called up the stairs. "Karen, please come and do the dishes."

"Coming, Mom."

Karen logged off of Facebook. She was annoyed by her mother's ruining the tranquility, but she pushed in her chair, and exited her room with a calm facade.

Karen was 17 years old. If you were to say she was intellegent, that would be an understatement. She was a genius. She had graduated from Miluakee High School with honors at 13 years of age, then went off to college at 15. She CLEP'd out of half of this and decided to triple major in Computer Information Science, Computer Science, and Quantum Physics.

You would think that this girl would look the total nerd. Of course not. She had beautiful golden blond hair and piercing bright blue eyes. She did not show this off, though. She wore a sweat shirt and jeans. Nothing fancy. She thought that fancy clothes were a waste of money. She preferred to save it for a laptop with the latest Mac OS.

Karen entered the kitchen and examined her workload. _Ugh! Does she have to unload the chores on her genius daughter whenever she's home for the holidays? Gee whiz! I have a brother. I don't care what dad says about dishes being women's work. I want some time off, not time to come home and do dishes! _She got to work, keeping her cheerful facade as she did so. She was good at looking happy outwardly, while internally in turmoil.

"He-ya, sis!"

"Hello, Mark."

"Mightest thou giveth me a secondeth?"

Karen knew that her twin wanted help with his homework. "Give me five to finish the dishes?"

"Sure, but please hurry. Matt invited me to come over and hang. I haven't seen him in forever, but homework comes first."

"Okay, I will try."

Karen finished her work in three-and-a-half minutes, and got done with her brother in 20. He, compared to her, was an idiot. He spent all his time in his childhood playing computer games and doing sports, barely making high enough grades to stay in sports.

Karen decided ot take her homework somewhere peaceful and headed outside. She walked until she came to a large apple orchard. She sat down beneath her favorite tree and pulled her netbook (the one that she kept on her at all times) and began to work on her Calculus homework.

When she finally finished her homework, she folded her netbook and got up. As she got up, she noticed a notebook lying in the grass adjacent to her. She walked to it, It's cover read "deathnote." Karen picked up the notebook and opened it. It read: Rules: The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

_What a sick prank. Whoever did this had a lot of time to plan... Or is this thing for real? Could I test it?_

Karen jumped when she heard, "So, you've found the deathnote. I didn't expect you to come so soon."

She looked up from the pages of the book. The thing in front of her was not human at all. In fact, she was positive that it was not human. She was scared. She wasn't a nervous wreck like other girls, but this was not an everyday occurrence. Not even close. "What are you?"

"They call me Ryuk. I am a Shinigami. A god of death."


	2. Shinigami

**Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I got a job, so my time for writing has been cut short. I had time to write when I was on the road lately, so I was able to get this chapter together fairly quickly. I would again like to thank _Author of Scifi _for co-authoring/editing (coauthoring for The Near Dialogue.) Without her, I would never be able to get this done. Please review, I love to know my readers' opinions! Enjoy! **

The setting sun cast down it's light upon the two figures standing in the grass, casting eerie shadows across the orchard. Of course, the thing across from Karen could not be seen by humans, and nor could it's shadow. The two figures had been staring at each other for over an hour. Karen was nowhere near keeping her inner fears away from her outward appearance. As a matter of fact, she looked a nervous wreck. "A... Shinigami? Those are a Japanese myth. You could not really be a _Shinigami..._ No. You aren't. I am just imagining you. You are a figment of my overstuffed mind. Kind of like Marley's ghost was in Ebenezer Scrooge's. Karen, you really need to stop the reasearch of the Kira murders. They're really getting to you. SHINIGAMI DON'T EXIST!"

"Well, I'm standing right in front of you, aren't I?"

Karen looked up, startled that this thing... this thing that was supposedly a figment of her imagination was talking to her. "So you... your species really is real?"

"Yeah, we're real. Are you some kind of idiot or something?"

"I am no idiot. I am in college much earlier than normal kids, and in honors - Does this Deathnote thing really work?"

"I swear upon my eyes."

"...Upon your _eyes_?"

"Look, kid, it's a long story. Trust me, it works."

"Okay." Karen thought for a moment, then said, "Can anyone else see you?"

"Only the people who touch that Deathnote."

"Alright. Now... I'm assuming that they can't hear you either, right?"

"Nope."

"Karen," her mother called from the house, "dinner!"

Karen yelled over her shoulder. "Coming!"

"Ummm..." Ryuk said, "do you mind if I have some apples before I come along?"

Karen turned as she nodded. "Sure, but only a few. Dad would be suspicious if he started noticing all the apples dissapearing off of his trees. He would be on guard, and that wouldn't be good if you'd want any more."

"Gotcha."

Karen began to walk towards the house. _Could I test this thing? On a known criminal? And what if Mom, Dad, or Mark finds this thing? What could I do to hide it from them?_

_-_-_-_

The toy soldier fell from Near's hand. How could the Deathnote have been stolen? It had been under Japan's newest and best security system, and heavily guarded. "It was the Shinaigami. The Shinigami stole it. He got bored. He stole it so he could find someone else to give it to. The idiot! How could this thing do something like this? He knew how much the groups set out to catch Kira had suffered. There is no telling what this new Kira could do."

"This could be bad." Matsuda dumbly stated.

Near lifted his hand and started twirling his hair, his eyes narrowed slightly, ignoring the idiotic statement Matsuda had just made. He had been a lot more solemn and more reflective after he had snapped and shot Light almost dead (the autopsy showed he died from a sudden heart attack, rather than excessive bleeding or damage caused by bullets), but he was still... well... Matsuda.

"But the chances of finding another Kira, one as meticulous and brilliant as Light, not to mention one as twisted, would be difficult. But if that Shinigami does somehow manage to find an individual similar to Light..." Near stopped twirling the strand of his white hair and sighed. "Well, I won't be able to handle him alone."

Matsuda appeared stunned at the statement. "What? But you're... you're..._L_."

"As much as I would like to accept that title..." Near said as he started rearranging his toy soldiers, "I am not good enough to become L. I never was, frankly, and it was only with the help of Mello, who is dead, that I ever succeeded the first time, and also that Kira's guard was down last time when I first started, considering that L had just died. This Kira, if indeed a new one emerges, will be on full alert the whole time. I need help. Unfortunately."

"From who? Wammy's kids aren't trained enough yet, are they?" After the demise of Kira, Near had told all of the inner circle of the SPK about Wammy's to a great extent so they would know what to do in case of Near's untimely demise.

Near started twirling his hair again and shuddered slightly. "The new ones, no..." His voice trailed off. _Preposterous! How can I even think such a thing? Besides, it would take as much manpower to look for _him _as it would to look for Kira!_

_...but otherwise, we might not catch Kira in the first place.... _

Near groaned slightly and ceased the twirling of his hair and sat still, contemplating. _He'd be a great help... he was a lot smarter than any of the Wammy boys, but the problem is his mental stability... and the question is 'would he even help us?'. The answer to that is probably a resounding 'no' but..._

"Near? What's up?" Matsuda asked, a worried note coloring his voice.

Near glanced at Matsuda. "I have a job for you. And for the rest of the inner circle of the SPK."


	3. A Test

**Wow... It's almost Christmas... I can't wait! Anyhow, I would really like reviews to keep me going... It's really hard to find time to write over the holidays, so the more reviews, the quicker I add the chapters. OH! I almost forgot. Please check out my coauthor, _Author of Scifi_. You'll love her stuff! Enjoy!**

The dinner table was awkwardly quiet that evening. The conversation, when Karen was home, was almost always about Karen's time at college. Karen went to Texas Tech University, so she only came home for the summer and for Christmas. She spent Thanksgiving with her aunt and uncle in Kentucky.

"So... how's your photography project going, Karen?" Karen's mother asked.

"Um... I haven't really had a chance to work on it yet. I have been doing _dishes_ and _laundry_ a lot lately."

Karen had actually forgotten about the photography project. She had been helping out so much that she had barely enough time to enjoy the beautiful scenery... and now there was the whole new Deathnote thing. She had that to do now. _I guess I have my Christmas break cut out for me. Luckily I am not as busy as I am at school._

"Well, you should really get that done soon. Christmas is coming fast. You want to be done by then, don't you? Didn't you want to go and spend some time with your friends in Milwaukee after that?"

"Yeah. I don't get to see them like... ever."

"Well, you have 8 days left until Christmas. Better get started."

The rest of the conversation was Karen trying to get her father to get on Facebook. He was giving the 'I don't have any time' excuse.

Karen went up to her room and turned on her iMac _(you are so biased... *growls*)_. _Where is that Shinigami?_ She pulled up iTunes and put on one of her hard rock playlists. The first song was _Monster _by Skillet. She minimized iTunes and pulled up Safari. Gmail was her homepage. 5 new emails. The first one was a Twitter notification that someone was following her. Second, a forward from one of her friends. The third was a poll from her local Christian radio station. Fourth; another Twitter notification. Fifth, an email from one of her friends. The subject read, 'E.T.A?' She opened the email.

_Hey-a Karen,_

_When are you planning on getting here? Amanda and her boyfriend are getting here right after Christmas, Betty arrives the day after. When are you planning on being here?_

_Love,_

_Ash_

Karen hit the 'Reply' button.

_Hi Ash,_

_Yeah... I'll be there the day after. I can leave then._

_Love,_

_Karen_

Since there were no emails remaining in Karen's inbox, she went to her Twitter. There were a ton of tweets talking about Japan's mass-murderer, Kira's, killing suddenly stop. That was the trending topic on the web these days. There was nothing new there, so Karen went to her Facebook, and played FarmVille for two hours, until Ryuk came.

"Where have you been?"

"I went exploring after eating."

"Ah, where did you go?"

"Into the woods."

"Hmmmm.... Well, stay here tonight. You can explore tomorrow. Right now, I want to test the Deathnote." She opened her drawer and pulled it out. "I'll try it out on that recently captured serial killer. He deserves to die."

_Just like Light. She tests it on a criminal. Great minds think alike. _ Ryuk thought to himself.

Karen wrote the serial killer's name in the Deathnote. Kent Smith was his name. She turned on her live web TV to her local news channel, and very soon saw a report that he'd died of a sudden heart attack in his jail cell.

"Holy... It really works!"

"I hate to say I told you do."

"Oh, shut up."

-_-_-

Matsuda's demeanor was that of an excited puppy. Giddy, unable to sit steal, beaming with smiles. Aizawa's was that of... a statue, frankly, while Ide's was one of slight annoyance but intrigue. Also in the inner circle was an American with a Japanese heritage called Robert Tensho, and an Indian named Samir Kavadi, a brilliant young man who, upon moving to the United States at the age of five, had become a Grandmaster at chess at the age of seven... an amazing accomplishment. Later he decided to get into investigating and had been trying to do an undercover investigation of Kira... he hadn't gotten anywhere, but his gall and his intelligence earned him a quick spot in the SPK.

Everyone except Near was lounging in a chair, their reflections shown in the numerous TV monitors in the room. Near was, of course, sitting on the floor in easy reaching distance of his precious dice. He had already built a one foot high structure which included elaborate towers complete with staircases and windows.

"What's this about, Near?" asked Aizawa, arms crossed. He had acquired a special respect for Near after the final Kira incident.

"My insufficiencies, first and foremost."

"What do you mean, 'insufficiences'?" asked Samir, only a slight Indian accent coloring his voice, his deep brown eager eyes shining with a youthful excitement, containing a kind of eagerness that was similar to that of Matsuda's puppiness, but contained.

"I mean that last time a Kira emerged, I could only catch him after L had a huge head start on the investigating and after Mello helped me. I am not L yet... I am merely N. With time, I might earn that L title, but I do not have said time. That being said, I need help."

"But where is this help going to come from?" asked Aizawa.

"A Wammy boy."

"But I thought you said they weren't ready!" Matsuda interrupted.

"The new ones. This one is of the first generation, and he's extremely intelligent, if... eccentric." The way he said 'eccentric' made the men in the room shift in their seats.

"He is supposedly killed by Kira, but I doubt he was, for reasons I will explain later. For now, all of you..." he pointed to a large stack of files on the desk. "Each of you, take one packet, and read about him. After you're all done, I'll answer some questions and then we'll get started trying to figure out how to catch him.


	4. Beyond

**As a Christmas present to my readers, I thought that I'd post this one off-schedule. Please review! **

-_-_-_-_-

Ryuk grinned. "So, you like?"

"It's cool." _...And how will I use this?..._

"Cool? This is the _most_ powerful force on the earth, and you just say _cool_?"

"Sorry... I was just thinking."

"You and Light... always thinking. My gosh." Ryuk shook his head "You guys think too much."

"...Who's Light...?"

"Long story. Now, are you gonna use this thing any more, or can I go to bed?"

"You can go to bed. I want to think about this a little bit more before I use it too much."

"OK, but..."

"What?"

"Eh, forget it. You don't need to know yet." _What are you thinking, Ryuk? You need to think more. Ha... I hate it when I don't listen to my own advise._

Karen updated her Facebook status to 'Long day today. I need some sleep. Photo project tomorrow ;-)'

and then turned her iMac off. She was glad that her iMac didn't make such a cheerful noise like PC's when they shut down. She hated it when her netbook used to do that. That's why she edited her laptop's OS code to not make start-up/shut-down noises. She got up and trodded over to her bed. As she fell asleep, she thought of what was to come.

_**Good night old Karen, good morning new Kira.**_

-_-_-

Breathing.

Light breathing.

Not the heavy breathing one normally associates with a psychopathic serial killer.

But still breathing.

B pocketed the laser he had been pointing at the window and considered laughing. He decided against it in a few seconds, thinking it would be inappropriate at that time. Stroking the laser with his thumb, loving the feel of the cold metal brushing against his warm skin, he lifted his eyes up to the window and brushed a strand of hair out of his face, savoring the way the stale air in the alley blanketed him like invisible fog.

_Shinigami, no doubt. Kekeke... was there any doubt to begin with? _He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, then absentmindedly licked at the red drops of life that flowed out from the small wound, unconsciously loving the murderously bitter, murderously sweet taste.

_The first Kira escaped me... mostly because of my refusal to pursue him. Foolish of me, I suppose, but I hadn't quite recovered from my time in that dreaded, detrimental asylum. Kekeke... no, wait... kyahaha... no... forget it. Why is humanity so adamant about locking up the insane? The insane are what _make _this world_. He had to repress an almost overpowering urge to toss his head back and laugh to heaven's doorways (which, of course, he would never enter). The suppressing of such urges made the actual release that much sweeter. He smirked up at the window and whispered 'Karen', rolling the 'r', letting the name slide past his teeth with notes of hate and disgust. He said it again, this time making the 'a' more of an 'i', the 'e' more of an 'a' and dropping the 'n'. Which, of course, sounded like Kira.

_Light, Karen, Kira... you make me sick, sick, sick._

_ Sick, sick, sick._

_Red, black, white, black, heaven and hell, you are dismissed._


	5. Trust

**Sorry for posting this one kinda late. The doing nothing-ness of Christmas Break has thrown both me and my editor off. Please review and enjoy!**

Karen awoke with a start. The noise was so loud that it was almost unbearable. "Ugh... What's going on?" She began to glance around the room. She was rolled over on her left side, so she rolled over onto her left. Ryuk was laying there eating an apple. Karen gasped. "Oh my... what are you doing there?"

"Shinigami get tired, too." Ryuk, looking slightly offended, got up and walked out of the room. "I'll let you change."

"Don't go far. I plan to use the notebook more today." Ryuk was too far away to hear her. _Ah, well. I'd better change and get down to breakfast._

Karen changed quicker than usual. 15 minutes. She almost ran down the stairs. As she approached the dining room she exclaimed "What a fine morning!"

Her mother looked up from her food. "Why you're cheerful this morning!"

"Well... let's just say that good things have happened"

"Oh..."

Karen's brother smiled "...You got a boyfriend?..."

"Nope. You'll never guess."

"You got a life?"

"Oh shut up, Mark."

Karen sat down and ate her breakfast in twenty minutes. After that, she went upstairs and pulled out the Death Note her netbook. She went outside and walked to the orchard. Ryuk followed. When Karen thought that the two were far enough away from the house so no one would notice her talking, she muttered "Let's get busy" to her invisible companion.

"Oh, so you're ready? I thought that you never would come around. Do you know who you wanna write first?"

"I have the Guantanamo Bay 9/11 criminals' names and pictures."

"You could save a bunch of page space if you had the eyes of a Shinigami."

"Huh?"

"Oh... I haven't told you yet, have I? If you have the eyes of a Shinigami you can see a person's name and the time of their death above their head. It makes using a Death Note sooo much easier. At least from what I've seen from other humans, but to have them, you must give me half of your remaining lifespan."

"Oh. Well... I'll have to think about that."

"Alrighta."

Karen turned on her netbook. She then began writing the names of the Guuantanamo detainees in the Death Note. She paused, "Do they have to die of a heart attack?"

"Nope."

"Alright. That might look a bit suspicious. Kinda like Kira was striking again."

"Yep."

Karen began writing again, and soon the page was full of both 9/11 prisoners and other terrorists. Under all the names was written:

_All the persons whose names are written above are to die when in transport. A civilian Semi Truck is to crash into their vehicle at 8:25pm._

"That should do it."

"Can I read it?"

"I don't see why not." Karen handed Ryuk the Death Note. He quickly read it.

"Good job. It'll work."

"Good. Now we'll just have to wait."

-_-_-_-

Aizawa burst through the door. "Near, I know the others don't want to speak out, but I have major issues with what you're proposing here."

"Aizawa. Come in." Near didn't turn to the man, but everyone under his command was well used to his dismissive, emotionless manner.

"I read the files. The other men don't want to question you, L, who solved the Kira case, but _I _have major qualms about what you're proposing. You're putting forth the notion that we can just waltz our merry way over to B's little proverbial cottage, ring the doorbell and ask for the help we know he would kindly give us. This man is a _psychopath_. A regular sociopathic nutcase. Brilliant, yes, but have you even read these files? Do you know what he did to those people? To that _thirteen year old girl? _Snuffed _her _out like that!" Aizawa snapped his fingers next to Near's ear. "And you expect us to work with him?!"

"Yes. I do."

Aizawa sighed in exasperation and turned from the white haired man, pinching the bridge of his nose with his index and middle fingers.

"Because if we don't, we could quite possibly condemn the lives of many others."

"So we lower our standards to allow someone like _Beyond Birthday _to work with us?"

"Yes. If that's what it takes to solve the case."

Aizawa was yelling at this point. "This isn't a game like your toys, _Nate River._" Aizawa was one of the few who had seen Near's real name in the notebook during Light's final downfall. "My morals will not allow me to pursue this man unless we are pursuing him to put him behind bars!"

"Who said we wouldn't at some point?"

"Because unless we offer him clemency he would never work with us!" Even as Aizawa screamed it, he realized Near had never said that they would let B get off scot free. "You can't possibly think..."

"I will lie to him. He won't suspect me to lie."

"..." Aizawa was stunned. Near continued. "He knows me from back at Wammy's before I was eligible to be put in L's line. That place isn't only for L's successors, you know. Anyway, he trusts me. I was one of his very, very few friends... the other was A. Who committed suicide. In any case, I can use that trust to gain his help, then I shall put him in prison."

"...but.... Near! You can't do that! How can you manipulate him like that?"

"To get him in jail and to serve justice's purpose."

"But you can't serve justice's purpose through deceit!"

"In that case, let me get his help and offer clemency to him. Surely his invaluable help when it comes to the new Kira case will be enough to remove his sins?"

Aizawa settled, cursing Near in his mind. _He did it on purpose... he made it to where I would be forced to agree with him or I would end up compromising either the safety of the world or my moral standards. Curse him. _When it came to L, Aizawa felt a mixture of respect, awe, and hate. "...fine. We'll give him clemency. If we find him."

"Believe me, we will.... his pride will ensure that."

"What do you mean?"

"He's already pursuing the second Kira."


	6. Holders

**_I just found out that I had not posted this. Wow... sorry. Anyways, here it is. Chapter 7 is coming along quickly. Please review!_**

**Chapter 6**

The lecture droned on. The professor was a rambler, one who included details that were probably better left unsaid. Of course, most details were better left unsaid when it came to B, seeing as how he knew most everything the professor was speaking of anyway.

No, what interested him about the class was Karen. _Karen, Kira, see you again in hell baby._

His last minute admittance into the college was a rare occurrence, sure, but with his amazing transcripts (forged, of course... and forged expertly) who would have refused him? Blake Holders; straight 4.0s since 9th, had attended many debate camps, had taken Latin and Logic on the side. So he was admitted into the college, studying for a triple major in Law, Forensic Science, and Psychology. He had a reputation around the campus as a learned fellow, quiet, with gelled black hair and a crisp business suit, with hypnotic obsidian eyes that seemed to hold a mystery... a mystery that was so enigmatic that you couldn't help but dive into it. Karen also happened to be in Forensic Science.

This afforded him many opportunities to talk to Karen, such as the one that presented itself after Forensic Science when B saw Karen sitting on a bench relatively isolated from the rest of the college. It could be considered the ultimate irony that this was the very same bench from which L had spoken to Light right before the apprehension of Misa Amane.

Beyond approached Karen, smiling slightly. "Karen Ishida-sama from Forensic Science?"

Karen looked up, taking note of the almost mocking honorific, surprised to see the star student talking to her. She had maybe said a passing word to him, a casual greeting, but they were not friends by any stretch of the imagination. "Yes... What do you want?" She was apprehensive of the man. He seemed sinister beneath his crisp, gentlemanly appearance.

B smiled a grin that showed off his white teeth; teeth white enough to be on an Orbitz commercial. "Nothing more than a casual chat.

Karen shifted, putting one leg over the other. "OK. Shoot."

Sitting at the opposite end of the bench, not close enough to cause any alarm, he said, "In Forensic Science you expressed some rather strong views for Kira."

Karen's eyes narrowed, a bead of sweat ran down her face. Not surprising, it was hot outside. Oddly so for October. "Yeah, so what?"

"I happen to have a penchant for the opposite inclination."

Slight growl from Karen. "You do, eh?"

With a smirk, Beyond responded, "Quite."

"Well, you have your opinion and I have mine."

"Of course. I hold no animosity toward you for your opinion. I can respect it quite easily. Your views are also very eloquently expressed and your reasons for your backing of Kira are quite compelling. I myself am a man of debate. After college would you mind a friendly argument?"

"Maybe... I have a mall date scheduled with my boyfriend at 7, so we'd have to make it quick."

B smiled pleasantly. Disarmingly so. " If you are already engaged, I would be happy to reschedule the event. What day would be more convenient for you? I would hate for you to have to leave in the middle of our debate."

"Would Friday be alright? I don't have anything scheduled then during school hours, since I'm off."

B nodded slightly. "I have no previous engagements then, so Friday after college would work just fine. I have Psychology." He didn't actually have Psychology that day, but he had already found a woman scheduled to die that day at the same time as his Psychology class and he felt like doing some experimenting. It had been a while since he had killed... also, he wanted Karen to eventually find out the Psychology students _were _actually off on Friday so she would grow suspicious of him. Suspicious enough to where she would jump at any opportunity he might present to speak to him. Lure her in so he could study her more closely... cat and mouse.

And Beyond made a very good cat.

"Same place? I'm sure you'd rather me not go to your house." He chuckled light-heartedly, but there was a hint of menace in it.

"You aren't off? In that case... when do you get done?"

"After my class in Psychology, which ends at 3:15." _She dies as 2:12... Should be enough time for me to kidnap her, experiment, kill her, dispose of the body and get to the college by 3:15. Or rather 3:20, which would suit my purposes better... she would wonder why I was late_.

Karen nodded. "Alright... That'll work. See you then, I guess, Holder-san." Karen slid her iPhone out of her pocket and scheduled the event.

"See you then, Ishida-sama. And please..." he said, offering his delicate hand... the kind of hand you could never imagine wrapped around a girl's throat, as they had been a few times over. "Call me Blake." She took the hand, shaking it firmly. "Very well, Blake. You can call me Karen."

"Then let me rephrase my previous statement... see you then, Karen." With that, he turned his back towards her and walked away, chuckling softly.

Maniacally soft.


	7. Debate

**Thank you all for your patience in waiting for chapter six. I figured that I would post this one early, since I was so late writing (and posting) the last one. PLEASE REVIEW! I want to hear your opinion on how this story should end. A) Karen either dies or is sent to prison. B) Beyond decides to keep Karen for an accomplice (this could lead to further stories later on). C)Another person is found to be suspect and the story links into another (Karen gets an apprentice, similar to Mikami). Let me know your opinion!**

**Beyond Birthday ran. He ran like the wind. He could not be caught. That was not an option. He had to catch the new Kira first… or at least find out who the new "god" is. He already knew that Karen had a Death Note, but was she using it? She could've just brushed it. He had not yet seen a Shinigami with her.**

Karen looked up from her iPhone when she heard footsteps. Fast footsteps. "You're late, Holders."

"I apologize... I had some business to take care of."

"That's fine as long as you are here. Are you ready to debate?"

"Not quite." Beyond pulled something from his backpack.

"Um… What's the jam for? Do you need it to debate?"

"I don't technically need it, but it helps me think."

"O-k, then. Well. Anyways. Let's get started."

Beyond opened the jam jar and stuck his fingers in it. He licked his fingers. "Would you like some?"

"Uh… no thank you

"It's quite delicious."

"Can we just debate, please?"

"Very well." Beyond took some more jam and ate it. "Why do you support Kira?" B said with his mouth full.

"Because he does what is just."

"Define just."

"Doing what the government of your beloved Japan doesn't do. Giving the death penalty. If you kill someone, you deserve to die."

"Well Kira kills people and apparently he's just so....."

"So what?"

" You just said when you kill someone they deserve to die. So since Kira kills people, he deserves to die."

"There's a difference. He does it because they deserve it. He does it because the government does not."

"Who decides whether they deserve to die or not?"

"He does. He is a god."

"Is he?

"Yes he is."

"What IS a god?

"One who knows all."

"Kira obviously doesn't know all because he died....."

"How so?"

"How'd he die? He stopped breathing. Eventually."

"No. How _did_ he die?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there. He did though."

"And how do you know he did, it has not been told to the public."

"Common sense. No criminals have died from heart attacks recently, except for those who perpetrated 911. Which was rather sudden, which suggests there is another Kira.

"You think so?"

"Yes. I do."

"OK, let's assume there's another Kira. They must have inherited the ability to kill like the other one did."

"Of course. But how do you think Kira kills?

"I don't know. He might have a magic spellbook or be in control of invisible evil magical faeries of death or something."

Beyond cocked his head and took another lick of jam. "...Invisible evil magical faeries? Really?"

"I don't know. There is really nothing logical that I could think of... Unless..."

"Unless?"

Karen had to think of something, so she bluffed. "Unless that old Japanese Shinigami myth was real, and they were able to just write a name in a notebook. What do you think?"

"Wouldn't that be something.... it could be true."

"I think that it would be kinda ironic... Ultimate power in a book."

_Let's throw the suspect off a little bit, shall we? _"I mean, I have Shinigami eyes so a believing in a Death Note wouldn't be that much of a stretch..." Beyond chuckled and, without turning, threw the empty jam jar into the trash can behind him.

"Really, now?"

"Maybe." Beyond chuckled, amused. _Keep her guessing._

"You are much crazier than I thought. As a matter of fact, I think you're a nut."

"How crazy did you think I was?"

"Not very"

"And now...?"

"Top of the loopy-list."

"If I'm on top of the loopy list, where are you?"

"Right in the middle"

"_With your little Shinigami following you around." B nodded toward Ryuk_. "Hello, Shinigami. Your name?"

"Ryuk, what's yours?"

"Hello, Ryuk. Why are you asking if you can see it?"

"I want Karen to know. If you won't, then I will."

"Hm. I'd rather not tell her, seeing as how she could kill me, and all that."

"How is this?" Karen bluffed again.

"Heh. You didn't help Light, why are you helping Karen?"

"Because. Light is an idiot. He got himself killed."

"So, who is Light again?"

Ryuk figured that he needn't bother keeping it from Karen any longer. "Light was the previous Kira."

"Why have you been keeping this from me?"

"Are you intending to copy him, Karen Ishida?" B asked. _Let's figure out her motives. She may be a great partner in crime. Her soul has to be clean, though. Light was ambitious for himself as much as he was for the rest of the world._

"I don't know yet."

"So you are the new Kira?"

"It kinda depends on your definition of Kira. I have a Death Note, but I have not used it but twice."

"....I didn't think you'd admit it so readily..."

"Well, you already know that I have a Shinigami following me. That should be enough info to frame me."

"You could have at least tried to come up with some sort of excuse."

"There is no way to explain."

"Sure there is. You could say that I am hallucinating."

"I'm new at the killing business, OK?"

"You are?" Beyond Birthday looked vary amused.

"Yes… Yes I am"

"New at the killing business? I could help you with that." B threw his head back and laughed in a very freakishly maniacal way.


	8. Appointment

**Would have posted this yesterday if FanFiction was working... *Glares at FanFiction techies*. I am having my editor edit my new story "Half Breed" and it will be posted Sunday the 7th. Again, please read and review! Enjoy!**

**-_-_-_-_-**

Karen Ishida opened the door to her two-room apartment. The dark living room ahead of her did not look very inviting. _I wonder what Blake is doing right now. _The love struck teenage girl hit the light switch. _Ahhh, that's better._ Karen hated dark places. They made her feel weird. Like some kind of goth or something. She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.

The local news was playing a report about the 9/11 terrorist _accident_. The reporter was yammering about the crash, how many died, how _miraculously_ no soldiers died in the transit. Karen felt joy that she had given judgment to the villains who had murdered thousands of people in her home country. _Be careful, ye murderers, of the new Kira. The bringer of eternal justice._

Karen flipped off the TV , and strolled over to her bedroom. She sat on her bed and spoke to the apparition in the corner, who had come to be her companion in the last couple of months. "Hi, Ryuk. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just enjoying an apple. Have I told you how much I love apples?"

"I believe you have. I like them, too. I think that we are going to meet with Holders tomorrow."

"Why? Do you like him?" Ryuk began to giggle like an eight year old girl. An evil eight year old girl, don't get me wrong, but still an eight year old girl.

"Would you shut up, you weirdo?"

"Excuse me? I'm not the one in love."

"Oh, hush."

Looking disappointed, Ryuk asked, "Alright. Are you gonna write in the Death Note any tonight?"

"Nah. I'll do it tomorrow. I am fixing to hit the sack. Right after I call Blake and set up an appointment."

"By appointment, you mean a date, right?"

"No, you doofus. Just shut up and go to sleep."

"Fine."

-_-_-_-_-

Beyond Birthday was walking down the hallway when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket. The caller I.D. read "Karen Ishida." A slight smirk appeared on his face when he hit the Talk button. "Blake Holders."

"Hi, Blake. It's Karen."

"Hello, Karen," he replied, his voice very smooth, almost seductive. " How can I help you?"

"Well, Blake, I was calling to ask if there was sometime tomorrow that we could meet and discuss our future."

"Sounds fine." _She's ready already? Wonderful. Kyaha… "_Noon at my place. If you don't mind being in my apartment alone…"

Karen swallowed slightly. The tone in which he said that was slightly disturbing. "…I think I'll be fine."

"Very well. I have some things that I need to tell you. I live at 1313 Mausoleum Boulevard."

"Uh, sure. Noon at your place."

"Alright. See you then." His voice carried a smile.

"Bye."

-_-_-_-_-

B's hand went slowly down the dead body, an etheral smile on his face as he observed the man in his eternal sleep. The body was clean… no blood, no incisions… he had been killed with a heart attack. B frowned slightly when he saw the slight wrinkle in the man's otherwise immaculate shirt. He ran his hand to where the wrinkle was – near the bottom of the shirt on the left side – and smoothed it almost lovingly.

The chemical smell of the room had, by this time, lost its bite to Beyond. The only thing that mattered was that body, in the middle of the room, saved especially for Karen. _Admitedlly, not 'especially' but… _digging his grave up had been a strenuous and difficult task, but for this… it was worth it.

_She'll be here soon. _With a light kiss on the corpse's forehead, he turned, glancing at the plastic that covered the bare, dark room. He left and replaced the wall paneling that hid the entrance that led to the compartment. With that, he walked into his bedroom. It was sparce. Nothing but a bed and a desk with a Mac sitting on top of it, the computer looking almost out of place in the Spartan setting. B knelt and crawled over to his bed, pulling out a box. A metal box, maybe three feet by two feet, painted black. Fishing a key out of his pocket, he slipped it into the almost invisible lock, and opened it, gazing at the contents inside it. Newspaper articles, web articles, a few sound recorders… one DVD and a few pictures. He simply knelt there, staring at its contents, having no need to look through them since every item in there was committed to memory…

He sang softly to the memoirs in the container… but less to them and more to the one whom they represented. "….come on, baby… come on, come on darling… let me steal this moment from you now… come on angel, come on come on darling… let's exchange the experience… and if I only could make a deal with God… and get Him to swap our places…" he stopped when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" he yelled, then resumed singing. "Be running up that road, be running up that hill… with no problem… and if I only could make a deal with God…" He turned when he saw Karen standing in the doorway. "Karen."

"Blake… were you…?"

"Singing? Yes. Now I have a question." He gently closed the box, setting the key beside it, and stood, taking a step toward Karen. "Do you think you love me?"

Karen stared at Beyond, the odd question setting wheels in her head turning. "…depends."

Beyond tilted his head slightly. "Depends? Depends on?"

"Tell me your real name."

Beyond shook his head slightly. "Karen, if you're trying to manipulate me, that's the last…"

"Ryuk told me Blake Holders isn't your real name."

"It isn't. I'd also rather not be easily killed by the Death Note.

"True."

Beyond turned to his precious box, its black exterior not reflecting any of the light that came through the window. It stood there, solid and ominous, containing so many memories, so many heartaches… "Why did you want to see me?"

"Assistance with the Death Note, of course. And you had something you wanted to tell me."

"…I did."

"Are you not going to tell me?"

"…I am."

"I am assuming you're not going to tell me right now…"

"…depends."

"On?"

Beyond took a sharp breath when he ball of emotion he had been keeping smothered in his stomach suddenly rose, bringing to mind the hauntings contained in the black coffin sitting in the middle of his room. He turned slowly from Karen and stared at the floor. A single tear fell from his right eye, but his voice didn't portray the emotion he felt. Karen's voice split the agonizing silence. "Well?" There was an impatient note in her voice.

"…how do you like your family, Karen?"

"I love them to pieces," she quipped, slightly intrigued by the spontaneous question.

"Do you ever feel… out of place?"

"Slightly."

"Why?"

"Just… I'm adopted, you know."

"Do you know anything about your parents, your siblings…?"

"No."

Finally, Beyond turned back toward Karen, a slight smile… a smile, not a smirk… on his face. "Ah, Karen…"

"…what?"

In the spur of the moment, Beyond made a decisive choice, one which would dictate the rest of this conversation, one that would either get him killed or one that would bring Karen to his side. "My name is Beyond Birthday."

Karen was silent. She was surprised, to say the least, but pleased. She planned on killing him as soon as she went home. "...ineresting name."

"I have one favor to ask of you."

_…couldn't be anything too detrimental to my plans… _"What?"

"If you kill me…" Karen gasped inwardly when she realized that Beyond knew she was going to kill him, "Do it with your hands. I detest the Death Note."

Karen was silent for a few seconds. "As long as Ryuk can confirm it's your name…"

Ryuk nodded. "Yeah, it's his name all right."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes, Karen wondering why on earth Beyond had told her, Beyond making note of her every feature, her every movement. Her black hair that flowed elegantly down her back, her thin, but not frail form, her dark eyes, her milky skin…

Following some odd urge, he stepped toward Karen, brought his hand up and stroked her cheek gently. Karen shivered involuntarily under his touch, but made no move away from him. "…you look so much like him," came Beyond's soft voice.

Karen was confused and slightly scared, but she still made no move away from Beyond. "Like who…?"

Beyond let his hand drop. "Your brother."


	9. Connections

**O.o . . . Whoops. Sorry, folks, so much has gone on in the last month, and I haven't been able to write anything. Lucky for you I have a laptop for road trips. XD. Well, here it is. . . The final chapter of A New Kira. Wish I had more to say, except that I had a blast writing! Please, review, and enjoy!**

**-_-_-_-_-**

Karen Ishida gasped. "My… brother?"

"Yes, Karen. Your brother."

"Who… who is he?"

At that, B took in a deep breath and turned away from Karen, staring again at the box, mixed feelings rising in his chest. "…your brother. His name was Lawliet." When Karen was silent, Beyond expanded. "Your brother was L."

"L… my brother? And… _was?_"

"Yes, Karen. L was your brother. And… he died."

"When…?"

"Two years ago. He was working on the Kira case. He… was killed by Kira."

"Why was I never contacted by my brother?"

"Because he could not risk word getting out that he had any relatives. He would rather not know you then to put your life at risk. Phone calls and letters can be intercepted."

Karen's eyes began to look glassy, like she was trying to hold back tears. Tears not born of love for her brother, because she never knew him. These tears were born of the sadness that someone she was closely related to, but never, ever knew, died. Died before you even got a chance to meet that person… in this case, that person was her brother. L.

After a few moments, B continued. "How old were you when you were adopted?"

"I… was five."

"Where were you adopted from?"

"The Wammy House… an orphanage in England."

"L was much older than you. He was an orphan at Wammy's, but he was took classes, and Wammy separated you on purpose."

"Why would he separate a brother and a sister?"

"So that your training would not be hindered. He knew that he had a sister there, but Wammy instructed him not to meet you until you were past adoption age."

"…Why would Wammy do such a thing?"

"To keep you from having your heart broken. Wammy could not have L going through his classes and wanting to visit you. It would distract him from his studies."

"…But why did he tell you that I was his sister?"

"He wanted me to protect you. To look after you."

"So you've been stalking me since he died?"

"Yes. And he gave me some mementos for you, should he die."

Tears began to run down Karen's face. "May... may I see them?"

"Yes, Karen, you may." Beyond motioned for Karen to follow him down the hall that led from the Living room. He stopped in front of the door that led to the L room. L's memorial. He opened the door and motioned for Karen to enter. She entered, and he followed behind, shut the door, and flipped the light switch, which stood next to the door. She was shocked at what she found in the room.

"Beyond… you have his _corpse_?"

"Yes. I intended for you to see it before you moved back to America."

"My brother… L… He looks so… so much like me. Ca…Can I see the mementos he gave you?"

"Yes. There is a DVD, which has a message that he recorded for you."

"Can I watch it?"

"Of course." Beyond walked out of the room and sat at his desk, motioning for Karen to grab the box. She did and handed it to him. He removed and inserted the disc.

A letter, a single letter in a calligraphic script, a scrambled voice, mechanical…. Even though it was her brother, he seemed so emotionless.

_Hello, sister. Karen. If you are watching this, it means that I have died before we met. I am your brother, L is what the world knew me as. Beyond can tell you my real name. I am sorry that we were never able to meet, but I likely will meet my end on this case. The Kira murders. I suspect that Light Yagami is Kira and he will murder me. I love you Karen. I hate us having to meet like this… you watching a video of me, after I have died. I sincerely apologize, but I am sure that Beyond Birthday has given you the details of why we could never meet. I have left you some money to help with your college education, and then some. I sincerely apologize for never letting you meet me. Please take care. I __**love**__ you, Karen._

Karen began to sob. She just could not hold it any longer. As the video came to its end, she put her head in her hands. "D… Did Light kill him?"

"Yes, Karen. He did."

"I can no longer write in the Death Note. It killed my brother. I just can't do it anymore. It would do dishonor to Lawliet's memory. Ryuk, take it. I do not want it. Take the Death Note away from me."

The shadow in the corner walked over to Karen and held out his hand. Karen placed the Death Note into Ryuk's hand, and he went back to the corner. "Goodbye, Karen."

"Goodbye, Ryuk."

"Wait," said Beyond, glancing at Ryuk. "Let her keep her memories for a little longer." With that, he turned to Karen and stared into her eyes. "…Karen…"

Karen turned to Beyond, cocking her head to the side slightly, her eyes still shining with tears. "…yes…?"

He didn't know why it happened, and he barely knew how. He remembered himself stepping forward and taking Karen's head in his hands, but he could scarcely remember the kiss itself. He only knew she kissed back.

It was short, soft, not the kiss of lovers; it was the kiss of two people who shared a loss. It was Beyond's first kiss. His only kiss.

He hated every second of it.

But it felt right.

Next thing he knew, Karen was in his arms crying, and he, in turn, had his arms wrapped around her, comforting her, head rested on the top of her head as she clung to his shirt and wept.

When she finished, B abruptly released her. "I'll miss you, Karen." He left then, leaving nothing but a whisper of his presence.

And for some reason, Karen didn't follow.

He was found dead a few days later in a cemetery, inside a dug up grave; an unmarked one. He had died from a knife to the heart; it was still there when they found him.

Scrawled on the tombstone in blood was '_It is finished.'_


End file.
